Desert Rose
by Daisy-Chan
Summary: [AU].Chased by the Royal Guards,Prince Amir found himself stranded in a rebel campsite somewhere in his now-in-chaos kingdom.Facing the crisis regarding the throne and his life,Amir was forced to form a pact with the head of the rebels and a powerful sorceress;Desert Rose."After all,Your Highness,you can't get something without losing something in return."
1. 01

**DISCLAIMER: **I own nothing. This is a fanfic written for entertainment only.

**A/N: **The idea for this story came when I was listening to 'Desert Rose' by Sting (yeah, an old song, but it still rocks! XD) while playing 'Glory of Heracles' (I seriously love this game. The plot and humour are so my cup of tea). Also, I'm into royalty, kings and whatnot stuff now so...yeah. XD English is not my first language. Pardon the bad grammar and stuff... n.n;

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**DESERT ROSE**

Chapter 1: The Runaway Prince

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Amir peeked outside the window of his tent. He watched as one of the Royal Guards questioned-he was sure that it's regarding his whereabouts-a black-haired man wearing glasses and leave after the man shook his head to the question. Amir breathed a sigh of relief; the people in the camp acted according to the plan. He moved away from the window, hiding himself in the shadow inside of the dark tent when a horde of people clad in black and yellow armour-the official chainmail worn only by the Royal Guards of Janaam-passed by; completely oblivious that the royal prince they're searching for is inside the gray tent next to them. He waited for the guards to leave and hearing their footsteps faded into the night, he peeked outside the window; again breathing a sigh of contentment seeing that he, once again, managed to escape being captured by the evil Prime Minister's loyal subjects.

"Are you satisfied now, Your Highness?" a voice was heard, as well as footsteps approaching the white-haired prince. "We kept our promise keeping you safe. Do you still not believe us?"

Amir turned to the darkness in front of him. "It takes more than that to make me place my trust in you," he replied the approaching figures.

The moonlight filtered in and illuminated the figures-now standing still- in front of the prince. There stood three people; on the left is a man with black hair wearing glasses-the one Amir saw being questioned by one of the guard earlier-, on the right is a brunette man dressed in maroon outfit and standing in the middle between both men is a woman not too old nor too young with a blonde hair; her lips curled into a smirk.

"Why, ensuring that you're still breathing is not enough?" the woman said, shrugged and shook her head in dismay. "What a greedy prince you are, Prince Amir of Janaam Kingdom."

Amir's eyebrows knitted together. "One would be a fool to easily trust the words come from a mouth of a rebel," he said to the woman.

"Why you-," the brunette man tried to protest but stopped as the woman raised her hand; signalling him to stop.

The woman turned to the brunette. "That's enough, Dirk. Leave us," she told him.

"But-"

"Don't be stubborn, Dirk," the black-haired man cuts in, patting the brunette on the shoulder. "We have no business here. Might as well leave and let her talk to the prince."

The brunette, Dirk, turned to the black-haired man and the woman before chewing on his lips. "Fine," he said, brushing off the hand on his shoulder. "But," he turned to the white-haired prince; his glare was as cold as his threatening voice. "Don't you dare touch her or you will regret that we ever saved your sorry royal-ass from the Royal Guards before," he growled before turning around and stomped out of the tent.

"Stomping around like a rhino won't do you any good if you're in a middle of a mission to assassinate someone," the black-haired man sighed; taking off his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose. He put on the glasses back before turning to the blonde woman. "We'll be outside the tent, Desert Rose. Call us if you need anything."

The woman, Desert Rose nodded. "Thank you, Lloyd," she replied him, receiving a wave from the other before he exited the tent. She turned to the prince. "Now, Your Highness, shall we move on to our business?" she asked, moving to a chair not far from her standing spot, sat on it and gestured the prince to sit on the empty chair across her.

Amir didn't budge from his spot. "I have nothing to discuss with you," he said. "If you would, give me back my equipment and I will leave the campsite this instant."

The woman let out a chuckle. "And leave you to be captured by the dogs of the Prime Minister? I think not," she replied, staring at the white-haired prince in amusement. "I have plenty of time to play with you if you plan on being persistent of not wanting to negotiate, Your Highness. Alas, I doubted that you have as much time as I do before the Prime Minister took over the kingdom and claimed the throne himself, hmm?" she smirked, taunting him.

Amir glared at her in disgust. "And whose fault do you think it is? It's people like you who'd been driven by your greed and lust to power that should be blamed," he spat. "And now you're asking me to listen to you? Tell me, oh powerful sorceress," the prince added in a sarcastic tone. "Of all people, why should I listen to you?"

"I can save you from getting killed," Desert Rose answered with the same smirk still on her lips. "I can ensure that you will get your country back; you will become the King. I can promise you that once this is over, you will never see the Prime Minister ever again; there will no longer be anyone that dared to raise his or her sword against you, that your kingdom will prosper as long as you live. Now, that's quite a deal you're getting here, don't you think so?"

"Indeed, yes," the prince replied, his stare fixed on the sitting woman. "It's a deal that's too good to be true. I doubted they're going to come in a small price."

The blonde woman let out a heartfelt laugh. "My, my. You sure live up to your name as a brilliant prince, Your Highness."

"Isn't that obvious? It didn't take a genius to figure that out."

"Well, quite right," the woman shrugged. "It's a well-known fact that us sorcerers and sorceresses are quite fond of being powerful and all, but I assure you that I am not one to succumbed to the feet of Greed and I have no intention of wanting to rule over Janaam Kingdom."

The prince raised an eyebrow. "How unusual for you not to lust over the power to rule over thousands of people who are to be the pawns in whatever things you're going to do," he commented.

"I've been getting that a lot," the blonde-haired woman chuckled. "My goal lies somewhere else so I'm not interested in the kingdom. You don't have to worry about that," she leaned forward; her hands on the table supporting her chin. "So," she continued, staring at the prince's face. "What do you say we cut this chit-chat and go straight to business, hmm? The clock is ticking, Your Highness. The time wasted in this idle chat means that the Prime Minister advanced a step closer to his goal. Or do you prefer, as you said, leaving this campsite and attack the army on your own? If so, please, feel free to do so. I'll tell Dirk to escort you out of here and to the nearest town as well."

The white-haired prince of Janaam Kingdom watched as Desert Rose found her interest on one of the scrolls on the table; opened and reading it silently, her mouth mumbled words that he can't figure out what. He bit his lips as his mind tried to think of other ways he can take to get the same outcome said by the sorceress in front of him. For once, his brain failed him and, breathing a deep sigh, he pulled the empty chair next to him and sat on it; his eyes pierced the sorceress's as she lifted her head from the texts she's been reading. The woman smiled at him and rolled up the scroll, putting it back to where she picked it up.

"Anita-No, Desert Rose," he began as soon as he was sure the sorceress are paying her full attention to him. "I accept your bid. Now, speak to me the payment of said offers."

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**. TO BE CONTINUED .**

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**A/N: **I'm having fun writing as usual. XD XD


	2. 02

**DISCLAIMER: **I own nothing. This is a fanfic written for entertainment only.

**A/N: **Thank you for the review, HarvestDragon. I'm glad you enjoy the story. Hopefully you will enjoy this chapter as well. (n.n) By the way, I'm dropping 'Super Drive' and might do the same for 'Dear You'. I've learned my lesson; never attempt to do a multi-chapter fiction when you're bombarded with group projects, assignments, presentations, tests, exams and preparations for 3 months practical. OTL I'm past that anyway so hopefully this one will not meet the same end. OTL I'd like to thank you to all readers who support both fictions. It means a lot to me to read your feedbacks. X3

_Italic words_ – Flashback

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**DESERT ROSE**

Chapter 2: Memories Of The Past

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_"There you are!" a blonde-haired girl shouted, pointing upwards at the white-haired boy who was sitting on one of the branch of the apricot tree. "Didn't we agree that hiding up on a tree is off-limits?"_

_ The white haired boy looked down at the girl and shrugged. "I forgot," he simply said and jumped down the tree; making a perfect landing on the ground. "You found me anyway so why bother?" he continued as he removed some leaves stuck between the strands of his hair and on his white coat._

_ "But Daddy told me that only bad kids broke the rules and I should stay away from them."_

_ The boy turned to the blonde-haired girl. "You're going to stop playing with me?" he asked, faking a sad expression that he knew the blonde-haired girl will fall onto. _

_ The girl, shocked with the white-haired boy's words-and completely oblivious that said boy is pretending to be sad-, shook her head so hard that the boy think it'll fall anytime soon. "No! Never!" she replied and moved a step forward to the boy; taking his hands into hers. She stared into his cerulean orbs with a determined look. "I'll never leave you, Your Highness! I'm your best friend. Best friends stay together even during hard times, right? And you're not a bad kid, Your Highness, you're just-"_

_ "Pfft...ahaha!" the white-haired boy broke into laughter. He released his hands only to use it to clutch onto his stomach; trying to endure the pain of laughing so hard in said area._

_ The girl's eyebrows narrowed. "What's funny?"_

_ "Haha...You're taking my joke way too serious," the boy replied, wiping away a tear from his left eye._

_ The girl's face reddened. "You tricked me!" she pouted, crossing her arms over her chest and turning away from facing the white-haired boy. "I'm not going to talk to you ever again!"_

_ The white-haired boy smiled. He was used to the girl's threats-though she actually will never do that-and somehow found her pouting face cute. He patted the girl on the shoulder. "Hey, I'm just kidding. You don't have to be so angry."_

_ "Hmph," the girl hmph-ed and shrugged off the boy's hand; ignoring the boy's words of apology._

_ The boy let out a quiet chuckle. He dug into his coat's pocket, taking out two fresh-looking apricots; the fruits from the tree he'd climbed before. He moved in front of the girl. "I'm sorry?" he again asked to be forgiven while handing the girl one of the apricot while he kept another, the one in his right hand close to his chest. _

_ The blonde-haired girl switched her stare between the grinning boy's face and the fresh-from-tree, delicious looking apricot. She had always hated the boy's attempt in trying to bribe her with her favourite fruit. _

_ "I hate you," the girl said as she took the apricot offered by the boy. "When did you get these?" she asked as she started nibbling on the fruit in her hand._

_ The white-haired boy grinned at her question. "Do you think I hid up on the tree without any reason? I saw these two so I went up to get it. Apricots are your favourite, right? I was about to climb back down and hide but you're done counting so I just stay there until you found me."_

_ "O-oh...You did it...for me?" the blonde-haired girl flushed. "I'm sorry that I got angry at you earlier," she apologized. _

_ The boy shook his head. "Nah. I'm at fault for teasing you like that," he replied her._

_ The girl smiled. "We're even then."_

_ "Not quite."_

_ "Huh?"_

_ The boy paused from chewing bits of apricot in his mouth. "Haven't I told you that there's no need to be so formal when we're together? You're still calling me 'Your Highness' even though I told you to call me by my name when no one is around."_

_ "Ah...," the blonde-haired girl mimicked the boy's action; pausing from munching the fruit and scratched her chin with her free hand. "I'm used to address you that, I guess..."_

_ "We're best friends, right?"_

_ "Of course we are!"_

_ "Then there's no need to call me 'Your Highness. Try calling me by my name," the white-haired boy added, now staring at the girl's amethyst orbs with a smile on his face._

_ The girl blushed even redder. "...A-Amir..."_

Amir's eyes jerked open to the voice that called his name. Still lying on his bed, he turned his face to the right side of the bed; to the table in the middle of his tent. There stood a man with maroon outfit; the same one-which seems to always have a foul mood-who accompanied Desert Rose last night.

"Jeez. That sure took you some time to get up. I've been calling you for the past 2 minutes now," the man complained. He placed a tray of food on the oak table. "Here's your breakfast. Next time, try to get it yourself. This is not the palace and you're no longer a prince...well, at least here," he added. "I couldn't care less if you're starving or not, but Anita doesn't seemed want to deal with more dead bodies so there."

Amir-now sitting on the edge of his bed-stared at the tray of food lying on the table; there's a small clay pitcher-probably filled with water-and a glass next to it, a plate of sliced bread and some grilled meat served in another plate. Amir's stomach started grumbling as he remembered that he hasn't eat anything ever since he escaped the palace yesterday. The food is plain to Amir's standard for after all; a Prince of a wealthy kingdom such as Janaam was used to be served by other exquisite, rare food that Amir was positive he wouldn't have a chance to see nor eat before the feud in his kingdom is over.

As if reading the Prince's thoughts, the man in maroon outfit grunted. "Sorry that the food's not as grand as you used to have back in the palace, Your Highness," he said with a hint of sarcasm in his tone when addressing the white-haired man 'Your Highness'. "But you know what? I don't care and if you want to live here with us, you will have to deal with it," he added, rolling his eyes to no one in particular. "Have fun tasting the food your oppressed-by-the-royalty people ate," he smirked and spun his heel around, ready to leave the tent but paused as the white-haired man spoke.

"You've changed, Dirk," Amir commented, staring at the back of the other man close to the exit. "I don't remember you being this bitter before."

Dirk turned around; the expression he had clearly showed that he was angry at the previous comment. "Quiet. You know nothing about me," he muttered. "You know nothing about the hardship I've been through ever since 'that' happened."

Amir looked at the other with sympathy clearly shown in his cerulean orbs. "I'm sorry that you have to gone through such experience, Dirk. But as I told you before, I play no part in it and-"

The rest of the Prince's words never came out as Dirk, with a speed that Amir couldn't believe he had, launched himself onto him; tackled him down back on the bed he was sitting on. Amir winced in pain as he hit his head hard on the bed; the bed sheet and blanket did nothing to soften the impact. The brunette's eyes flared with hatred as he grabbed the prince by the collar of his coat with both hands.

"Shut up," he growled; eyes locked with the prince beneath him. "And stop looking at me with that sympathy of yours, you murderer. Your pity is the least I need in my life. Try making the same comment ever again and see what I'm going to do to you," Dirk released a hand from the prince's collar and drew a dagger-still inside its sheath-from his back and raise it high enough for the white-haired prince to see it.

Amir didn't flinch. To say that he was used to this-getting shown sharp weapons that can anytime reap his soul from him and leave him dead-is exaggerating things but he have a fair share of experience having himself getting almost-killed, poisonous daggers pointed to his throat and swords almost cut him into two or worst, having his body chopped into countless pieces of human meat. He wondered though how Dirk managed to move as fast as he did now because even though he's rather short in height compare to him, he always managed to outrun the man in maroon outfit in a race they occasionally had back at the palace.

The prince heaved a sigh. "I understand," he replied. "I wish to avoid getting involved in a fight while I'm here, Dirk. Now if you please," he added and placed his hand onto Dirk's which is still on his collar, never letting it go.

Dirk's eyebrows knitted together as he continued to stare at the prince. He gritted his teeth and drawing back his dagger, he pulled away from the prince; rose from the bed while still shooting death glares to the white-haired prince. "Tch. I hope you're going to keep your words-or at least try to keep it. I swear if the same thing ever happens again," his fists balled on both sides. "I will definitely kill you," he continued before turning around and started to walk over the exit.

Amir sat up on his bed; his eyes followed the other man as he moved. "You hated me so much now, don't you?" he muttered, mostly for himself to hear.

Dirk once again paused on his track. Without turning around to the prince, he said," Who wouldn't hate you after 'that'? To top it all, you're the reason Anita turned out to be like this. She will never go back to being a cheery woman she used to be. You're the reason she will never smile again." With that, Dirk walked outside; leaving the prince to stare at nothing but the untouched food on the table in the middle of the prince's room.

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**. TO BE CONTINUED .**

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**A/N: **Writing this was fun as always. XD I've been thinking of using characters from other HM games as well for this fic. (n.n)


	3. 03

**DISCLAIMER: **I own nothing. This is a fanfic written for entertainment only.

**A/N:** English is not my first language. Pardon the bad grammar and stuff... n.n;

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**DESERT ROSE**

Chapter 3: Her

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Amir watched the brunette boy as he laughed at the pink-haired girl; one that stumbled upon the sand after tripping on a small rock on the ground. The other pink-haired girl helped her sister stand up, scolding the brunette boy in the process of not being a gentleman and help her sister getting on her feet back. The brunette boy replied by sticking his tongue out and his action earned him another scolding from the same pink-haired girl as he ran away from both girls; laughing along his way to the lake not far from where they're standing. Both girls chased him; the pink-haired girl grabbed the other's hand-the one that fell earlier-and ran after the brunette boy, no longer shouting in anger but instead laughing just like the boy they're currently chasing.

Amir couldn't help but smiled at the sight – he himself recalled the past memories of his own childhood; the moments where everything was as perfect as he wanted it to be; his parents were alive, he lived under a protection of hundreds of guards in the palace – living his life as the crown prince of Janaam Kingdom and most importantly, his time spent with his best friend.

The prince paused at the thoughts of his best friend; a blonde-haired girl which her smile never cease from her face and always been the cheerful type of person ever since he came to known her. The same blonde-haired girl who has always managed to crack a smile – and even a laugh on his expressionless face, the one who emitted a mysterious aura that drawn people into her; befriending her, talking to her, adoring her. His admiration towards said girl knows no boundary; he has always like how she always by his side supporting him during good and-especially-during bad times. Most people-including his other good friends-think that the life you lead as a prince is full with joy and wonders that normal people – peasants can't and will never be able to nibble on such fruit of happiness. Amir never thought of his life in that kind of view though. Your parents will never be able to dote on you when they're busy with their job as the ruler of Janaam. Being a prince-at least in Amir's case-is nothing more than studying how to be a great King, perfecting his swordsmanship and learn more about the kingdom-related stuffs. All in all, it was just matters of economy and politics; ways that can be done in order to shape Janaam to be a better kingdom. Moreover, Amir had lost his mother soon after his little sister was born. He was only 7 years old when he attended the Queen's funeral and his father the King; the one who'd been bitter towards him since the start have turned even bitter since the death of the Queen. The King never remarry and rather than seeking advices and sharing opinions about the kingdom's affair with him, the King turned to the Prime Minister; the one who in the end murdered the King and the one who's responsible turning all things to hell in Janaam.

The white-haired prince's hands balled into fists on his lap. His sister; the only family member he have left in this world stayed back at the palace after helping him to escape his certain death to act as a decoy-or so she said-to cover his track and buy him more time to flee . He wondered if she's being held hostage and wondered if the Prime Minister will sooner or later use her as bait for him to come back to the palace. He fully knows that he will never be able to resist if the Prime Minister taunt him with the safety of his little sister.

Amir bites his lips. "Is there nothing I can do to save her?" he thought to himself; his nails dug even further into his palm, registering the pain in his brain. "I don't have time to dilly dally here..."

"Then why not spend your time thinking how you are going to settle things with the Prime Minister?" a voice interrupted, sending the white-haired prince immediately on his feet. "Oh, my apologies, Your Highness. Did I startle you?"

Amir's eyebrows narrowed. "I would very much appreciate it if you stop reading my thoughts and stop sneaking behind me like that," the prince spoke with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

The blonde-haired woman chuckled. "I'm sorry. I have no intention of reading your mind but the strings of your thoughts alone emitting an aura so strong that I can't help myself plucking on one of them and listened to the melody it created."

Amir stared at the woman in front of her. She was smiling but Amir knows better that her smile means nothing more than just a mockery to the prince whom she sees as a pitiful one; struggling on his own weak power to save his kingdom. It's not the same smile she used to wear back when she was younger and it will never be the same. Not anymore. Perhaps what Dirk told him before is true; he really is the reason she's no longer smiling a genuine smile.

Heaving a sigh, the white-haired prince raked his hair. "What do you want, Desert Rose?" he asked using the alias the woman used, never calling her by that name he used to address her when they were children. "If this is about the pact, I'm sorry but I haven't got time to think about that."

"Oh? What did you do with your time then?" the blonde cocked an eyebrow, staring at the prince. "I doubted that you're practicing your swordsmanship seeing that none of your equipments are with you."

Amir shot the blonde a glare. "Yes, which reminds me; would you be so kind and return them to me?"

"Can't be at ease without your trusted sword with you, no?"

"Cut it out."

Desert Rose chuckled. "Very well, Your Highness. I will return your sword and armour later but for now," she spun her heels around. "Would you like to come and pray with me? It will be just like the old days, don't you think so?"

Amir stared at the blonde's back; thinking whether he should tag along or not. After some seconds thinking, he decided to play safe-since this campsite is her turf-and followed the figure that started to walk away from him. The prince managed to move at par with the blonde and walking side by side with her, he scanned his surrounding; the part of the campsite that he had yet managed to visit. His eyes caught the sight of Dirk talking to a black-haired man with glasses-the same one he's been seeing since last night-and a brunette woman in blue dress. His gaze meets Dirk's and the brunette man scowled before turning his face back to the other two people he's been talking to before; laughing a laugh he concluded he will never see the brunette do when he was talking to him.

"It seems that Dirk harbours a lot of hatred towards you, Your Highness," come the voice of the blonde-haired woman alongside him. "I can't say that I don't understand the source of such feelings but it still amazed me how he, the one who previously was so kind to you can no longer look at you without having the intention to kill you."

The white-haired prince made no feedback to the blonde's previous comment. Both people kept their mouth shut and walked in silence until they reached a tent; its location is somewhat far away and kept hidden compare to the other tents in the campsite. Amir watched as Desert Rose mumbled something before proceeding to move forward, placing her right hand on the edge of the clothed-door. She paused from lifting the cover up and turned to the prince behind her.

"This is just me rambling, Your Highness," she spoke. "But if I were you, I will give the Prime Minister endless pain and despair before he begs for forgiveness and accept me as a superior being than him. There's no better way to pay him back for all the suffering he caused you other than this, hmm?" she chuckled quietly, turned around and entered the tent.

Amir watched as her figure disappeared into the tent. He knows that the blonde-haired woman was no longer Anita he'd used to know. He knows that 'that' event shocked her so much and it was 'that' thing that eventually leads her to become the person she is right now. However, he was surprised at her words of wanting to torture the Prime Minister so much; both body and mind for the Prime Minister, after all, is her father.

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**. TO BE CONTINUED .**

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**A/N:** I have fun writing this story but I guess this might be the last chapter I'm going to post since I'm not sure if anyone actually read this... X'D


	4. 04

**DISCLAIMER: **I own nothing. This is a fanfic written for entertainment only.

**A/N:** I forgot the fun I've been having when I write something. Thank you HarvestDragon and Ulyss for making me remember that feeling again. X"3 Thank you as well to Cotton Candy Mareep for the support. I didn't plan on stopping this story though; I'm just thinking of posting it somewhere where I can insert some arts here and there to accompany the story. XD XD I guess I'll cancel the idea and just keep on posting here. C= English is not my first language. Pardon the bad grammar and stuff... n.n;

_Italic words _– ? POV

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**DESERT ROSE**

Chapter 4: Threads

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_When I was a little girl, I believed that everything in this world will always ended up with a happy end – I believed that what's waiting for me after I grew up and married is an ending much like those is fairytales I loved to read; happily ever after. The way I was brought up, the people that I cherish, that I love and the peaceful, love-filled house in which I lived confide me that such future is secured, that joy will always be an element of my life._

_That is, until I reached 16 years old. Such beliefs of living a 'happily ever after' life were gone; crushed like the mirror underneath my mother's body – some of its pieces while didn't harm me physically pierced my heart deep and leave me bleed in agony, in regret, in anger in the midst of fire that engulfed the house that I adore._

_Retreating from the room where the lifeless body of my mother lay, I ran around the house, following the paths which was safe from being licked by the raging fire – though I'm sure that such thing will not going to last long and scanned my surroundings, searching for any life forms that are still breathing, still moving. My search resulted in nothing and I started shouting; calling random names belonged to people I know living in the house. One of which was 'his' name._

_I was overjoyed when I saw him – no, it was not 'him' but him standing in the middle of a burning room, still safe from the reach of the fire around him. I breathed a sigh of relief and I approached him; I wanted to tell him about mother and that the house is a dangerous place to stay but halted halfway as I spotted the item in his hand and the blood dripping from said item. I gasped, covering my mouth and stared at his back. Hesitant, I called out to him once more._

_A shriek escaped from my covered mouth as he turned his face to me; he was laughing maniacally. It was a laugh alien to me for he never showed such kind of emotion before. Splatters of blood decorated his once innocent face and the ones on the corner of his lips continued to trickle as he stared at me and mouthed something; words that made no sense and words that turned me into a nonbeliever – I am now positive that there's no such thing as 'happily ever after' in this world. In life, happiness is an illusion, exist only to sugar-coated the hidden layers of despair and misery within it._

- Amir's POV-

The inside of the tent I entered made my eyebrows narrowed; the interiors were simple but what bothered me was not the lack of chairs and tables but the altar north of where I'm standing. A small shrine dedicated to Thoth (1), the other two tall white candles on each side of the statuette were the only things present on the wooden-made altar. Unlike the Harvest Goddess worshipped by most of Janaam people, Thoth have always be the God worshipped by sorcerers and sorceresses as they believed that it was Thoth who gifted humans with wisdom and the knowledge to use magic.

I stared at the blonde-haired woman who stood in front of the shrine. Her eyes were closed; indicating that she's praying and her mouth was moving with words I didn't understand – it was the language spoken only by the black magic's practitioners of the kingdom. Not wanting to disturb her, I stood still on my spot, kept my mouth shut and let only my eyes roamed around the small tent, examining everything that came across my sight. My gaze stopped when I stared down onto the ground I'm standing on. It's a runic symbol – no, this is...

"It'll be better if you refrain yourself from staring at that for a long time," come the voice of the blonde-haired woman.

Startled, I looked up to her who was still standing in front of the altar, her front's now facing me. "Why is this here?" I asked and nodded once towards the item in the ground, bewildered of why such important – not to mention dangerous pictogram available in a small tent in a campsite in a middle of nowhere.

"I'm not obliged to tell you the reason," Anita smiled. "Why would you be interested in knowing about it, Your Highness? Does it pique you that much?" she asked an obvious question.

My right eye twitched. "I'm not asking to be answered by another question," I told her; my tone's firm and I shot her a glare.

The blonde-haired woman didn't flinch and instead let out a small chuckle. "I told you before and I'll tell you again; I am not obliged to answer any questions you threw at me," she said. Her smile faded and her expression turned serious. "And who are you to use such tone on me, Your Highness?"

"How dare you! I am..."

"The royal prince of Janaam Kingdom – one that will soon be the King of Janaam, I know. But you seemed to forget this vital information; Janaam Kingdom is no more. Well, at least until the Prime Minister take over the government and all," she cuts my words and again her lips curled into a smile. "I am the power; the ruler here, Your Highness. You are, after all, is nothing more than a pawn of my plan."

I bite my lips. It hurts me to admit it but what she's saying was right; Janaam Kingdom is no more – it is now a kingdom in chaos ever since my father the King fall victim under the evil plot of the Prime Minister. But to say me, the royal prince a piece of pawn that can be thrown away anytime she wanted to is outrages. Surely she hasn't forgotten that even though Janaam is in chaos, I'm still a part of the royalty? She's not even a noble to begin with.

"I am not your pawn," I replied coldly, daring myself once again to glare at her. "I am not some kind of a puppet that you can toy around with."

Still smiling, Anita approached me. "Of course you are. However, you're a special one. You're the stepping stone of my grand plan," she smirked and patted my shoulder. I fought the urge to slap it away and waited for the rest of her words to come out. "We'll be leaving for Sunshine Town tomorrow," she continued, releasing her hand and started to walk away. "Oh, and there's a statuette of Harvest Goddess next to the table over there," she pointed at a table not far from the altar. I didn't notice it before. "Feel free to pray if you want, Your Highness. And I expect you to give me your answer for the offer tonight at the meeting," she added and exited the tent.

"An answer to your offer..." I murmured to myself. "Why is my decision of what I'm going to do to the Prime Minister matters to you, Anita?"

_For sixteen years I've been living a false life. For sixteen years I've been deceived into believing that happiness does actually exists, that I have in my grasp and will forever continue living with it._

_Not anymore. _

_This time, I'll use my own two hands and tear you apart; smash your dreams and hopes into pieces – exactly like what you've done to me before._

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(1) Thoth – Egyptian ibis-headed god of the moon, drawing, writing, geometry, wisdom, medicine, music, astronomy and magic. ~ Reference from Wikipedia.

**A/N:** Angst and blood again. Gah. I'm sorry. I'm a fan of both. OTL Ah, I decided the setting will be in the desert since I've been reading a lot of novels related to this setting (and Llyod's outfit...haha) and loving it. XD


	5. 05

**DISCLAIMER: **I own nothing. This is a fanfic written for entertainment only.

**A/N:** English is not my first language. Pardon the bad grammar and stuff... (n.n);

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**DESERT ROSE**

Chapter 5: Shifty

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"We're good to go, Desert Rose," Lloyd said as he looked up from the paper he's been reading in his hand. "We've got all supplies and equipment covered."

Desert Rose – Anita nodded. "Thank you, Lloyd. There's nothing more that I needed you to do. You may go now."

"Understood," the man with glasses nodded once, rolled the paper in his hand and walked away silently.

Amir watched as the man's figure approached the same brunette woman in blue dress standing next to a camel and talked to her, handing her the rolled paper in his hand. Amir stared at the pair, recalling the past where the man wearing glasses addressed the blonde with her name instead of her alias. He pondered upon the drastic changes; the blonde's personality, Dirk's hatred towards him, the Prime Minister's evildoing and Lloyd's perception towards the blonde. The event that befall 'him' – no, the war; it was the thing that leads the changes in everyone around him, in him himself. However, Amir knows that events related to 'him' were the causes that lead to the birth of Desert Rose and her new personality. 'Him' and Anita are very close in which Amir can't deny that he sometimes found himself getting very jealous at the sight of the blonde laughing and smiling when talking to 'him'. Amir can't bring himself to hate 'him' though. 'He' was too kind not only to him but to others as well – 'his' family especially and as well as the blonde. The white-haired prince was sure that 'he' never gets mad at anyone or anything; 'he' was always the mature one in their group of friends.

"You seemed to be recalling the past quite a lot lately," a voice interrupted as sound of footsteps halted behind the young prince. "It's useless to muse over the past, Your Highness. It's better to keep what's done behind and keep on moving forward."

Amir grunted, didn't bother to look at the source of said voice for he recognized the voice and the sole owner of said voice. "I've told you to never, ever read my thoughts. Is it really fun to pry into what other people are thinking? Is it really that amusing to you to toy around with others' feelings?"

Anita chuckled. "My, my. You're quite a grumpy person. I apologize; of course it isn't. I wouldn't be happy if someone's trying to mess with my feelings as well. I'll admit I did read yours out of curiosity previously but it's different now that we're connected via the pact; your thoughts are automatically sent to me if it reached a certain wavelength. Of course, the same goes with me too. It's a fair trade, I would say so myself, no?"

"I doubt that I'll ever be able to read yours – you know how to control your wavelength for you're a sorceress and all so I wouldn't call it 'fair' in my case," Amir replied bitterly. "Still, what is it with the wavelength stuff? Is this connection of yours is really necessary for us? If I may say, I don't appreciate the idea of others reading my thoughts each and every time they wanted to."

"Correction, You Highness. One's thoughts can only be read if the people connected to each other reached a certain required wavelength – rest assured for it won't happen as often as you thought it'll be," the blonde flashed a smile. "Worry not though. I'm not that desperate to know what your thoughts are; I'm far more than interested knowing what you're thinking."

"Tsk. Can you live up to that claim of yours, then?"

"Even though I'm a sorceress, someone from the batch that Janaam and its people shunned, I'm one to keep my promise, Your Highness," Anita replied, her smile disappeared and she locked her eyes with the prince's. "You of all people should've known that."

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Amir's body rocked as the camel walked, his grip tighten on the rope as he switched his focus to the blonde-haired woman in front of him. She was silent; her eyes gazed far towards the horizon in front of them. Amir's eyes switched to looked down on the back of his left palm, staring at the blood-red tattoo carved onto it. It was a tattoo to mark their connection, to brand him as a person that agreed to make a pact with a powerful sorceress; Desert Rose. It also served as a self-reminder that he is currently a prisoner of the blonde, chained by the fact that he is powerless to save his kingdom alone and has to rely to others whom he was sure that despised him most. The prince, before agreeing to the condition of the pact they agreed upon on last night worked hard to think of other way besides willingly to be a pawn in the blonde's game. It was a futile attempt though; no matter what kind of plan came up to his mind, Amir was still unsure that it'll bring victory to him without him having to give away his life as the payment. Amir didn't want to die. Not yet. He needs to restore his kingdom before he breathes his last breath. His pride won't allow him to die without seeing the fruits of his fight, without seeing Janaam to be a thriving kingdom as it did before.

The white-haired prince's left hand balled into a fist. The tattoo didn't hurt for Anita used her magic to carved it onto his hand but it hurt his emotions and self-confidence. He was determined to move forward no matter what obstacles he's going to face from now on – the act of him sacrificing his freedom and swallowing his pride as a royal prince and work with the rebels will have to pay him thrice the deeds, he will not tolerate to any failure. Amir looked up from his hand just to see Llyod's staring at him. The older man slowed his camel, waiting for the prince to come up to him.

"How are you doing, Your Highness?" he asked as they ride side by side.

Amir stole a glance at him and focused on his front again. "I'm okay," he gave a short reply.

"That's good to hear," Lloyd nodded once and returned to stare at his front.

It was his first time to converse with the older black-haired man after he arrived three days ago and Amir wondered what caused him to come talking to him. Amir thought that Lloyd didn't seemed to change much if he compare him to the other two people riding camels in front of them. He seemed to be unaffected by 'him' and the war but Amir knows that it's easy to pretend; there's no way one can accurately tell what the others are thinking by just judging the appearance and expression of the others have.

"If there's something you wanted to ask, let it out, Your Highness," the older man's voice startled the white-haired prince. "It's better to ask, even though there's no guarantee you're going to get a satisfactory answer, than being left confused by things that you shouldn't fret about too much."

"A-ah. That's…right," Amir nodded, scratching his chin with his right index finger.

Lloyd was the mature one-other than 'him'-in Amir's group of friends before the war breaks out. The black-haired man is only a year older than him but his wisdom, personality and the way he behave make the prince feel like he was talking to his father – they even have the same aura surrounding them. The only difference between Lloyd and his father is that Lloyd had-because he is unsure whether Lloyd still view him as a friend now-a good relationship with him while his father thinks nothing but 'an heir to the throne' of his own son. Amir doubted that his father sees him as a son, even before he was murdered by the Prime Minister. Lloyd rarely smiles but it doesn't mean that he's not a good person.

"I do have a question," the prince started; decided that he should take on the offer given by the older man next to him. "Is it okay to travel with just four people?"

Lloyd turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "Hn? What do you mean by that?" he asked back.

"Well, you see. You're…no, we're wanted by the government, right? You guys are rebels while I'm a prince-turned-fugitive. Surely the government will send soldiers to capture us, brought us back to the capital and imprison us. I don't think that the four of us are capable enough to defeat a batch of professional-trained soldiers."

"Hn. So you're worried about a small thing like that?"

"Huh?"

Lloyd gave out a small chuckle. "It seems that Desert Rose is correct – your insecurity towards your surrounding doesn't seem to fade away just yet. Your Highness, you've underestimated our strengths. I know that numbers play a great deal in a battle and it's natural to think that we, the party lacking in said matter is on at disadvantage if we were attacked. However, you forgot that Desert Rose is on our side; she herself worth more than 1000 of Janaam's soldiers. Anyway, judging the Prime Minister, it's not the soldiers that we have to look out for during our travel."

"What do you mean by that?" Amir stared at the older man with confusion clearly shown on his face. "I know that she's a powerful sor-"

"Shh," the black-haired man cuts the younger prince's words, placing his right index finger on his mouth. Both men kept quiet for some seconds before Lloyd spoke again. "They're here."

Bewildered by the older man's words, Amir scanned his surroundings; sand, sand, sand and more sand. He was about to ask the other the meaning of his words but paused as his eyes caught movements on the sand around them.

"Over here," Lloyd called out to the prince and hurried towards Dirk and Anita. "Looks like they've been waiting to ambush us, Desert Rose," he told the leader of the convoy as soon as he and Amir reached the other pair's side.

"Che! They're cowards to even think about ambushing us like this," Dirk spat, his eyes roamed around them as the sand started to pile up and created a shape the convoy immediately recognized.

"Human...sands?" Amir was shocked – it was his first time experienced such thing first-hand. "Is this…sorcery?"

Dirk rolled his eyes at the prince's words. "Well, duh. Do you really expect someone to hide under the sand in the middle of nowhere on a hot day like this? Of course it's magic!"

The convoy moved closer to each other as they watched the event unfolds in front of them – more and more human-shaped sands appeared and each of it moved closer towards the convoy. Amir was stunned; he started sweating as two red eyes appeared in each of the human-shaped sands' face. The eyes snapped open revealing rotten, yellowish-with-unknown-sand-coloured-liquid gushing-out-of-it eyeballs glaring at the four people.

"So…tis...is…wre…you…ar…" the human-shaped sands chorused, the voice's sounds broken and static but it's clear enough for the convoy to understand its meaning. "He…He…I…foud…u…my…cute…ltle…siste…Anita…"

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**A/N:** First attempt to write battle scenes. XD I'm not really used to write battles and actions so this will be a good practice. XD


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